Product Previews

Emotiva BasX Surround Sound System Preview

For the first time in its history, the Emotiva company is offering a full entry-level surround sound system called the BasX (Basic-X) line.

I find this particularly interesting because I’ve previously reviewed (and bought with my own money, and for full price) the Emotiva BasX stereo gear, including the PT-100 preamp and A-300 stereo power amp. Both were excellent on an absolute basis, and particularly excellent for their modest prices! Can the BasX surround sound system possibly be as good? I want to find out!

For review, Emotiva provided a full surround system minus only the disc player (I used my new Oppo UDP-205). The surround swag included the MC-700 surround sound processor, A-500 5-channel power amplifier, LCR front and center speakers, four SAT surround sound speakers, and two S12 subwoofers for a complete 7.2 setup. The system as reviewed costs just $2,740, but can be had for around $2,000 by eliminating one subwoofer and a pair of the surround speakers, making it a 5.1 system.

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The BasX surround group is 4K/HDR-video-ready, and plays all the newest surround formats just fine, save Dolby Atmos that requires more height channels. The system will be evaluated both as a movie-system and as a high-end audio system.

My room measures 28 x 15 x 9 feet (3,780 cubic feet). Could the little Emotiva speakers play loudly enough to provide movie-volume sound in such a large space? We will see…

Some of the components I am particularly interested in are the processor (how good is this latest generation of Emo-Q room-correction?), and the subwoofers (I already own a good pair of 15-inch subs – can the budget Emotivas compete?).

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Some of these BasX components rival the competition costing two or three times as much. Which ones are the stars of the line? Watch this space for my full BasX surround system review coming soon. I was VERY surprised by some of the BasX gear, and I think you will be too!

See the complete review of the Emotiva BasX Home Theater Audio System

Glenn Young

I learned to play the guitar in high school, hoping to persuade Berma Sanchez to date me, but alas, no such luck! In the late 1970s, a neighbor who was the station engineer for the local PBS network took me under his wing and taught me the electronics of audio reproduction. Throughout college, I used that knowledge to modify Dynaco vacuum tube equipment for friends. After graduation from LSU, I took a job in the chemical manufacturing industry, learning about industrial hygiene and the mechanics of hearing. In the 1990s I learned to write, initially as the newsletter editor for my local Safety Engineering chapter. In the early 2000s, I had my first book published (I’m now working on my third). A few years ago, the Secrets of Home Theater and High Fidelity website issued a call for authors. I responded and was excited to be selected. Over the years, I’ve published a number of equipment reviews and am honored, in 2019, to be given the title of “Senior Editor.” But none of the above offers the “why” of my interest in home audio. My musical tastes are highly diverse, and my love of music (acquired probably in the church choir of Grace Baptist Church) has been passed on to my daughter, who got her B.S. degree in music and her M.S. in violin performance and music education before being switching gears and then going on to graduate from Harvard Law. Although the majority of my extended group of friends and family prefer hobbies such as hunting, fishing, football games, etc., I’ve found that I still greatly enjoy time with my audio system and discovering new music. At some time in the fairly near future, my hearing will decline and I’ll no longer be able to listen analytically. But so long as my audiograms show acute hearing, I’ll keep doing what I enjoy best - listening to wonderful music and sharing my thoughts and impressions with like-minded friends.

View Comments

  • Looking forward to your review. I own a BasX S12 and would like to see a good unbiased review on it. Especially interested to know how going dual-S12 changes things (with measurements if possible).

    • Hi HighAltitudeObserver -

      Thanks for the anticipation. The dual S12s DO change things for my room. But alas, at the time of this review I didn't yet have my measuring microphone & software. Now that I have the measuring equipment, the gear has already been returned. So although THIS review won't have much in the way of measurements, all my future reviews will.

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